A self-described “perfect soldier,” Sutton is an inexperienced, but committed farmer. He plows, he harvests, and he diligently watches over his poultry and livestock, and yet he cannot escape the demons that haunt him from war.

This week marks Bit & Grain’s second anniversary, and as we enter into our third year of storytelling, we’ve done a lot of reflecting on the road we’ve traveled to get here and what the future looks like.

Reader and Johnston County native Ashby Brame always thought she’d leave North Carolina for something bigger and bolder, but never made the leap. As years came and went, work, family and a deepening love for North Carolina kept her here.

Diversity and religious liberty are cornerstones of our democratic experiment, a process itself built on the backs and ideas of immigrants, some who came here of their own volition, others who were brought by force. Targeting immigrants because of their faith or nationality is fundamentally un-American.

There is at least one glaring error at the North Carolina Legislative Building: the enormous, 28 feet mosaic of the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina guarding the entrance, actually isn’t the official state seal at all.

From his small walk-up restaurant, Southern Smoke BBQ, in his tiny hometown of Garland, it’s not unusual for Matthew Register to serve a barbecue sandwich with a side of ratatouille or pozole. For Matthew, Southern Smoke isn’t just about the food, it’s about helping revitalize the place he grew up. Meet Matthew.

You can count on Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen to bring the heat during her New Years Eve performance at First Night Raleigh. The blues-performer is taking the craft she honed on Bourbon Street in New Orleans to Raleigh for an evening of dancing, singing and joy.

Americans across the country are still reeling from the most polarizing election season of our era. Calls for self-examination and intentional thoughtful dialogue across race, class and region grow louder every day.

Nia Wilson, Executive Director of Spirit House, knows what it takes to build bridges between communities that often don’t talk to each other, and she knows much of the work must start within. Meet Nia.

Ace Henderson is becoming an artist in the truest sense. He is conscious of and curious about feeling, experiencing and seeking, and he reveres the process of making. This is why he writes and rewrites, mixes and remixes. This is why we’re still waiting for his latest project, LAP143, which he’s been workshopping for months. It’s just not there yet.

North Carolina is divided, we all know it. Divided We Stand, a short film by Cynthia Hill, is a timely demonstration of mutual respect, dialogue, and building bridges across a wide and ruptured spectrum of political beliefs here in North Carolina.

Have you found yourself pondering the meaning of life recently? Have you asked yourself whether our country is falling apart? What the universe has against the Panthers? If we should be preparing for the end of times? We have, and we are honoring the questioners, doubters and debaters among us by attempting to answer one of life’s biggest questions: is a hot dog a sandwich?

Hurricane Matthew took lives, homes, schools and roadways from us. It is a storm we’ll be talking about for years. It is a disaster our brothers and sisters in the east will be dealing with for months. Don’t let them go at it alone. Photo by Zach Frailey/Kinston Free Press.

North Carolina isn’t currently known as a place that fosters creative, fluid expressions of gender, but one blues dance night in Durham provides a safe, free space for exactly that. This should not be surprising. Queerness has been a part of blues music for over 90 years.

Like many of us, the flavors of Nation Hahn's childhood give him a sense of place. They also inform his work, where he’s too often reminded many of our students are hungry and without access to nutritious food.

Diversity and religious liberty are cornerstones of our democratic experiment, a process itself built on the backs and ideas of immigrants, some who came here of their own volition, others who were brought by force. Targeting immigrants because of their faith or nationality is fundamentally un-American.

There is at least one glaring error at the North Carolina Legislative Building: the enormous, 28 feet mosaic of the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina guarding the entrance, actually isn’t the official state seal at all.

North Carolina is divided, we all know it. Divided We Stand, a short film by Cynthia Hill, is a timely demonstration of mutual respect, dialogue, and building bridges across a wide and ruptured spectrum of political beliefs here in North Carolina.

Hurricane Matthew took lives, homes, schools and roadways from us. It is a storm we’ll be talking about for years. It is a disaster our brothers and sisters in the east will be dealing with for months. Don’t let them go at it alone. Photo by Zach Frailey/Kinston Free Press.

Robert Morgan held many public offices — US Senator, NC Attorney General and Director of the State Bureau of Investigation — but will be remembered best by many as a friend. Join us in reflecting on his life as a public servant and friend.

With a vast estuary system and a growing locavore movement, is North Carolina poised to become an American oyster capital? The answer isn't simple. Crack open the story of the Eastern Oyster, North Carolina's native species. Within it, find a larger story the past, present and future of our coast's economy, environment and culture.

Howard Creech was the right-hand man of Percy Flowers, a man the Saturday Evening Post dubbed "The King of the Moonshiners" in 1958. From the early 1930s to 2012, Howard helped care for three generations of the Flowers family. Two men, whose lives Howard shaped, remember his dynamic role in their lives.

From his small walk-up restaurant, Southern Smoke BBQ, in his tiny hometown of Garland, it’s not unusual for Matthew Register to serve a barbecue sandwich with a side of ratatouille or pozole. For Matthew, Southern Smoke isn’t just about the food, it’s about helping revitalize the place he grew up. Meet Matthew.

Have you found yourself pondering the meaning of life recently? Have you asked yourself whether our country is falling apart? What the universe has against the Panthers? If we should be preparing for the end of times? We have, and we are honoring the questioners, doubters and debaters among us by attempting to answer one of life’s biggest questions: is a hot dog a sandwich?

Like many of us, the flavors of Nation Hahn's childhood give him a sense of place. They also inform his work, where he’s too often reminded many of our students are hungry and without access to nutritious food.

"It's not fishy, it's full of flavor." Chef Ricky Moore has had this conversation time and time again at Saltbox Seafood Joint. This week, learn one way to use underutilized species; it's a spin on a classic Southern dish that won't dissapoint. Try your hand at fish & grits.

Savory enough to drink straight, moonshine has a storied legacy here in North Carolina, but can be intimidating to first-time sippers. Meet one man whose roots run generations deep in bootlegging & try our list of cocktails made with his family's shine, an unexpectedly tasty and creative base.

North Carolina is poised to be at the epicenter of the local seafood movement. But, the seafood industry in North Carolina is at a critical juncture full of passion, disagreement and misinformation. Join us as we take a closer look at seafood foodways and the importance of knowing where our seafood comes from.

Meet David & Hal, friends and neighbors for over 40 years. NC State professor Hal helped David immigrate to the United State after the two met in Vietnam. David now owns a successful restaurant in Raleigh, David's Dumplings & Noodle Bar.

ARTS

A self-described “perfect soldier,” Sutton is an inexperienced, but committed farmer. He plows, he harvests, and he diligently watches over his poultry and livestock, and yet he cannot escape the demons that haunt him from war.

You can count on Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen to bring the heat during her New Years Eve performance at First Night Raleigh. The blues-performer is taking the craft she honed on Bourbon Street in New Orleans to Raleigh for an evening of dancing, singing and joy.

Ace Henderson is becoming an artist in the truest sense. He is conscious of and curious about feeling, experiencing and seeking, and he reveres the process of making. This is why he writes and rewrites, mixes and remixes. This is why we’re still waiting for his latest project, LAP143, which he’s been workshopping for months. It’s just not there yet.

Lauded as an emerging Southern city, even the new Atlanta, Charlotte’s got a lot, and today, North Carolina’s cosmopolitan capital is in the process of refining its identity. Meet a man who's made it his mission to ensure the arts are essential to the Queen City's identity.

For decades the innate, soulful drive to make music has compelled Southerners to make instruments out of just about anything. From the one-string instrument to the cigar box guitar, musicians here have taken what most would deem junk and crafted it into something beautiful.

Step inside several unique Airbnb properties — an artist retreat, a sustainable farm, a passenger bus and a dome home — peppered throughout North Carolina and get a glimpse into the burgeoning sharing economy, and why these folks have opened up their homes to strangers.

Spend a Saturday with us in New Bern, a small coastal town beauty, history, and culture meet in the downtown district. With a story older than the state itself, New Bern’s historic and architectural sites, burgeoning art and retail scene, recreational opportunities, and eclectic restaurants make it the perfect place to learn, see, do and eat.

PEOPLE OF THE PINES

Americans across the country are still reeling from the most polarizing election season of our era. Calls for self-examination and intentional thoughtful dialogue across race, class and region grow louder every day.

Nia Wilson, Executive Director of Spirit House, knows what it takes to build bridges between communities that often don’t talk to each other, and she knows much of the work must start within. Meet Nia.